Monday, October 17, 2011

Quilting and More Quilting!

What a wonderful place for a retreat!

Here we all are, on our last morning….trying to gather for a group photo! The weather was not as cooperative as it looks, it was windy and cold and we were huddled together trying to brace our smiles on while poor Dan had the job of taking pictures with 17 different cameras.

Hard to believe that after being together Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning ---filling the space up with the sounds of machines running and talking, laughing and even singing….that this wonderful space would once again revert to being completely empty.

This is a glimpse of what it looked like before the onslaught:

Look at all these great windows! Lots of natural light…..plenty of ample space for everyone to sew and visit!

20 Quilters, plus Carol and myself! Can you see where my spot was? Hint --- look for the hot magenta featherweight!

When the weather cooperates, this is the view from the back deck!

When it doesn’t, you get fog, and rain, and a whole nuther kind of beautiful! Besides, if it’s raining, there is no guilt about staying inside and sewing!

Little by little the retreaters arrived, many of them eager to see each other since they haven’t been together since the same time last year.

We started sewing at 2pm….and everyone was eager to get working on their projects!

The quilters had their choice of which quilt to make, either Star Struck, or Texas Braid…and they came with strips and pieces cut and ready to go! This was my first time teaching two classes at once, and the juggling act was a bit of a challenge, but soon all were headed in the right direction with pedal to the metal!

At 6pm we were called to the dining room for a wonderful meal! Our sewing went on into the late evening hours…but I have to confess that I was pooped out and in bed by 10:30pm each night. I have become a total wimp when it comes to burning the midnight oil. If I don’t get a decent sleep I just don’t do well the next day! So off to bed I went…

A glmpse of my cozy room! It was right off of the sewing area, and very convenient! We also used the bed as a place to lay some of the larger quilt pieces out. I pity the maid who has to get the thread bits off of that white coverlet bedspread! LOL!

Take a wander through the slide show and see what we had going on! There are over 50 photos in the album, not all of them show in the thumbnails below. I was tickled at the variations that people were coming up with, and enthralled with the mini version of the Texas Braid quilt that someone was making in 50% scale..her pieces were 1” X 2.5”!!

I’m on my way home today! We’re leaving Rangeley around 11:30am and making our way toward Portland where we will meet up with “cityquilter” Grace for a shopping spree at Mardens! I’ve never been there before, but I’ve been told it is a Maine Must See, so we will! Anything I acquire will have to be shipped home as the luggage is already at maximum weight capacity!

We had such fun with you, Bonnie and all the other quilters. Leslie and I will probably see you in VT next year, I will drag her out of the County just for that purpose. Have a good time at Marden's, we usually do. Be safe.Faye Bushey

Oh such memories we all have and new friends we've met. The whole experience was wonderful and I shall cherish it. Thanks Bonnie, Carol, Dan and the staff at CC Inn. So organized from start to finish.Maryellamrsloon@maine.rr.com

Oh, what a beautiful spot for a retreat. I could love it even without the fun of quilting thrown in, by why not quilt and get double the fun!There are some beautiful quilts coming out of this workshop--yikes--more patterns to add to the bucket list.I am so glad you are going to be able to meet up with Grace! She hadn't said anything on her blog--but then I haven't caught up on reading the last couple of days. Maybe it is there. Enjoy!

Ohhh we love Mardens! No trip to Maine is complete without stopping there. We have our Proper Bostonians Quilt camp in Kennebunk two or three times a year. We visit Mardens in Sanford Maine before during and after camp. :-))

Glad you got to visit Marden's, I haven't been to the Scarborough one, I think that is the one with the best fabric collection! Of course with you and Grace visiting yesterday not sure what's left for me to see, LOL!

You got some great pictures of the retreat in Maine, as usual. I have a question about the Star Struck one that is in blues, purples and greens and looks like it has black strips between each color. How is that done? It looks like stained glass and is just gorgeous!